Now Commenting On:

Giants boast durable corps of starting pitchers

Giants boast durable corps of starting pitchers

CINCINNATI -- Should the National League Division Series need a Game 5, the Giants will turn to pitcher Matt Cain for the start.

Cain, after a long regular season and with already one postseason start in this series, is healthy and set for what will be his 34th start of the season, postseason included.

He's not the only starter in the Giants' rotation who has proved to be durable, as Tim Lincecum has made 33 starts, Madison Bumgarner 33 starts (including Game 2), Barry Zito 33 (including Game 4) and Ryan Vogelsong, who has made 32 starts, the last coming in Game 3 on Tuesday.

"Sometimes it's luck that guys can stay healthy all year," Cain said. "Sometimes you can't help little things that happen throughout the season. But I think this group of starting staff has a good repertoire of staying on a good routine."

How important is durability? Consider that the Padres, who finished 18 games back of the Giants in the NL West, used 15 different starting pitchers in 2012.

"The trainers are on top of us about staying on our routine," Cain said. "And I think we're always trying to find ways to stay healthy and that's a good thing. Guys aren't set on what they have done in the years past."

This isn't a new development for the Giants. When they won the World Series in 2010, they had four pitchers -- Cain, Lincecum, Zito and Jonathan Sanchez -- each make 33 starts during the regular season.